We all love Star Trek. Until a holodeck becomes reality, the tricorder is our next best bet to make some cool real-world Trek technology. Well, according to a new study by electrical engineers at Oregon State University, we may be closer than ever before. This is all thanks to ultrawideband technology.
In a research paper entitled “Experimental Characterization of a UWB Channel for Body Area Networks,” which was recently published in the EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking,researchers concluded that this ultrawideband technology can be used at very low energy levels and can support the transmission of vast amounts of health data in real time. This, of course, sounds exactly like a tricorder.
Patrick Chiang, assistant professor in the OSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and co-author of the report, ..read more
Posted in: News, Vitals Monitoring
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We told you about Withings Blood Pressure Monitor for iOS devices back in January. Well, we said it would only be a matter of time before it was released. Guess what? That matter of time is now upon us. You can order yours today.
To the uninitiated, the device does what it says it does. It monitors your blood pressure. It features an external monitoring attachment that works in tandem with some on-board software. The whole thing works pretty effortlessly and for those of you with blood pressure issues, it truly is an inexpensive solution to an ongoing problem.
The accessory costs $129 for now.
Posted in: Mobile Phone Integration, Vitals Monitoring, Withings
Sleeping can be the ultimate release for some. Still, for others it can be a source of stress. Insomnia aint no game, people. With this in mind, Dreamtrap(kind of a scary name) have unveiled their EASYWAKEme sleep monitor system.
The EASYWAKEme Sleep Stage Alarm Clock monitoring system is one intelligent alarm clock. How intelligent? It knows to wake you only when you are in the right sleep zone. This ends up cutting down on fatigue and ends up helping you sleep better at night. It works by using proprietary 3D Adaptive Sleep Capture (3D ASC) technology. You simply strap on a wearable sensor, set what time you’d like to wake up, and it’s on. Note, the time you put in is not exact. The system will wake you up near the time, based ..read more
Posted in: Dreamtrap, Vitals Monitoring, Wearable Tech
Monitoring sleeping patterns can be tricky business. It can require tons of wires, tons of equipment and a whole lot of headaches. Headaches, after all, do not help insomniacs fall asleep. It’s a good thing, then, that recent start up Nyx Devices is on the case. The company has created something called the Somnus Sleep Shirt, which purports to make sleep monitoring easy as counting sheep.
The shirt works by analyzing your breathing patterns. It is fitted with two sensors, one on each side of the shirt, that gets that job done. That information is then transmitted to a small data recorder, which can then be uploaded to the company’s server and analyzed. Co-inventor Matt Bianchi, a sleep neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, thinks the Somnus could help patients suffering from ..read more
Posted in: Nyx Devices, Shirt, Vitals Monitoring
A long time ago in this galaxy Nintendo announced the Wii Vitality Sensor for their massively successful Wii video game console. The Vitality Sensor was purported to measure your vitals and use the information in a range of unannounced software applications. The product never materialized, leading some to presume it had been put down. Not so, says the company.
The company’s president Satoru Iwata says the Vitality Sensor is still coming but the hardware has run into some problems being useful to everybody that uses it. Until the hardware is able to be useful to 99 percent of users, he says, then it will not be released. No word on when the company will iron the kinks out and it will see the light of day. I want to play a ..read more
Posted in: Nintendo, Vitals Monitoring
There are lots of vitals monitoring kits on the market, but only one that fits in the palm of your hand. Named for its diminutive size, the Gumpack was designed by an inventive Kansas State University student. And who knows America isn’t creating new stuff nowadays?!
This multi-sensor monitoring device that fits in the palm of your hand. That’s how small it is. It relays your vital stats to the doctor of your choice via the Internet. It even features a built-in camera and microphone for record keeping purposes. The Gumpack also has WiFi capabilities and a long-living battery. Oh yeah, there’s also medical sensors built in as well. An ECG and a reflectance pulse oximeter to start.
This miniature life saver is still in the concept stages, so don’t go to ..read more
Posted in: Camera, Vitals Monitoring, Wearable Tech, WiFi Detection
Japanese researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology have begun working their magic within the realm of wearable tech. The institute have been conducting research with weaving capacitive touch into large-area textiles. The reason for this? For cool techy clothes of course.
The researchers have begun integrating capacitive touch sensors into 1-micron thick nylon fibers. The result? Fabric that can sense your touch and send related messages to nearby computers. One obvious use would be in hospitals, where sheets could inform doctors of any changes to a patient.
AIST also wants to send the tech to the consumer world, too. No word on how this will go down and when our favorite t-shirt will react lovingly to our touch. Hopefully soon. I’m lonely.
Here is a video of the ..read more
Posted in: Clothing, Concept Design, Environmental Monitoring, Vitals Monitoring, Wearable Tech
Armband tech has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years. Some are miniature computers. Some offer USB storage. Some even let you know how fat you’ve become. Enter the Ki Fit, the armband that tracks your vital stats.
The Ki Fit monitors a ton of stuff, actually. Your sleeping and calorie burning rates all fall under its purview. It’s a cool little gadget with a fairly hefty pricetag. $300 plus a $20 monthly subscription price. Maybe you should just that money for a gym membership and a new mattress, yes?
Well, ok, probably not.
Posted in: Armbands, Environmental Monitoring, Ki Fit, Vitals Monitoring
Sure, there are some products on the market that monitor your vital signs. Do any of them use the magic of Bluetooth 4.0, though? Nope! Not until now, anyways. This new device promises to “spur the development of a whole new range of… health and fitness apps,” by harnessing the power of Bluetooth Low Energy to pump heart rate stats to your mobile phone. Lofty promises indeed.
Of course, there aren’t any Bluetooth 4.0 compatible mobile phones yet. So we’ll just have to wait and see on this one. My money, however, is on success. Never bet against a fashionable and utilitarian black belt. You’ll always lose. My grandfather taught me that.
The unit isn’t for sale yet but we’ll give you more information when we have it.
Posted in: Belts, Vitals Monitoring
It’s cute when companies become besties isn’t it? Nike and Polar are well on their way, with the announcement that the two companies have teamed up to bring us the WearLink+ heart rate monitor for Nike+.
This is, obviously, compatible with the rest of the Nike+ gear and will show your BPM heart rate Nike+ sportband, or via audio cues on your iPod Nano. It also features a soft chest strap that both companies say will not be noticed.
This machine washable strap will be available soon for $69.95. Not bad for all of that, um, fitness.
Posted in: Armbands, Nike, Polar Electro, Vitals Monitoring
